Somewhere Only We Know
by KookiesInTae
Summary: Jeon Jungkook gets his world turned upside down when he suddenly gets kidnapped by Bangtan, a group of boys with extraordinary abilities. Idols, they call themselves - Those born with bright colored hair and supernatural gifts. But what is even more jarring is the fact that they tell him that he is an Idol too. Ot7 with Taekook.
1. The Prophecy

_September 1, 1997_

_Jikgam._ Intuition. That was what Mrs. Min would have said had made her wake up that fateful evening, her eyes fluttering open as she stared up blankly at the darkness, feeling as though something was just...off. She couldn't exactly put it into words, couldn't explain why she would have woken up well before the sun was set to rise. But there was one thing she did know.

Something was wrong.

Climbing out of bed, the young woman padded down the quiet hallway to where her sons' bedroom lied at the other end of the hall. She felt a shiver run down her spine then, the temperature in the house seeming to have dropped a few degrees when she suddenly heard a noise from within the closet.

She felt her heart catch in her throat and steeled herself before slowly peering behind the door, only to find her eldest son, face pale as though all the color had been drained from it, staring back at her with wide eyes.

"E-eomma." The boy whimpered as he stood up and ran into her arms.

"Jun Ki. What's wrong? You're shaking like a leaf." She asked, eyebrows furrowing together with concern as she searched his body for injury. But the boy refused to speak, lip trembling with fear as he pointed a shaky finger to the room he shared with her youngest son.

Mrs. Min felt her blood run cold as she followed her son's gaze to where a faint green light was pouring from the open door of the bedroom.

_Yoongi._

She ran to the room, heart beating in her chest as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing. Around the room, all the furniture and toys laid haphazardly overturned as though a tornado had spiraled through, and in the center of the room was the source of the chilling green light.

"Yoongi!" She called out, running over to where the small boy was seizing on the ground as she pulled him into her lap. "Yoongi! Eomma is here." She cried, cradling her son in her arms as she turned him to search his face for any response.

To her horror, the whites of his eyes had disappeared, replaced with pools of black as they stared unseeingly above him. His mouth hung agape, gurgling as though trying to say something.

"What is it, baby?" Mrs. Min asked, desperate as she cupped the side of her son's face. He was cold as ice. "Please, talk to Eomma."

"K-k…" The boy purled, as he continued to writhe. "K…"

The atmosphere grew even colder, the glowing green light seeping from him like tendrils as it began to fill every inch of the room, and from his mouth came a voice that was far too ancient, a voice that couldn't have possibly belonged of this time.

Mrs. Min swallowed hard, summoning all the courage she could muster not just for herself, but for her son, as the voice continued chanting loudly, boomingly, terrifyingly, and unmistakably the words:

_**Kim Namjoon…**_

_**Kim Seokjin…**_

_**Min Yoongi…**_

_**Jung Hoseok…**_

_**Park Jimin…**_

_**Kim Taehyung…**_

_**Jeon Jungkook…**_

And just as quickly as it had all begun, the voice and menacing light fell away, absorbing back into the young boy and leaving behind nothing but darkness and the sound of his mother's labored breathing as she held him helplessly in her lap.

* * *

_18 years later..._

3 sets of eyes silently watched a dark-haired boy through the window of a cafe as he worked, blissfully unaware of what was to come in just short of an hour. The boy with the mint hair shoved his hand inside of his jacket, pulling out a box of cigarettes as he continued following the other boy with his gaze.

"Yeah. That's him." Suga hummed, placing one of the sticks between his lips as he brought his hand up to light it.

Next to him, a taller boy nodded, glancing down at his watch to check the time. "Good. Now we wait."

* * *

It seemed like forever until the minute hand finally inched its way (painstakingly slow) to 7 o'clock. So when it did, Jungkook sighed in relief, happy that the day was over. The cafe had been short staffed - again, which meant that he had been the only one on the schedule that day. It wasn't an easy task by any means, but somehow his boss seemed to fully believe that anyone could manage greeting customers, taking their orders, making their orders, serving their orders, and cleaning them up all at the same time. He walked over to the door and clicked it shut, taking off the apron from around his neck as he began to clean up.

The routine went by relatively quickly, seeing as there was nothing to distract him and within 15 minutes, he had finished stacking the last of the chairs on top of the table. The one good thing about opening and closing by yourself was that you didn't have to talk to anyone. The bad thing about opening and closing by yourself was that you didn't have anyone to talk to. He wasn't sure which of the two he preferred more.

By the time Jungkook had stepped out of the shop, it was already dark outside. He pulled up the hood of his hoodie, feeling the cold night air against his face as he walked. But after a few minutes of walking, the dark-haired boy frowned, suddenly feeling uneasy. He couldn't explain what it was, but it was almost like a sinking feeling growing in the pit of his stomach, the kind of feeling you got right before something bad happened or before you were about to puke.

(He would later find out that that had been his gut instincts telling him to run and had Jungkook not been a complete idiot, he probably wouldn't have wound up where he did next.)

He barely heard it, the sound of silent footsteps trailing behind him as he padded through the empty streets of Mandeok-dong. So by the time Jungkook had turned his head to look behind him, he only had enough time to register a sharp stabbing sensation at the back of his leg before it went numb, causing him to lose his balance and stumble. He landed on his hands with a hiss, one hand moving to clutch his leg as he looked up at his assailant in pained surprise.

Jungkook wasn't exactly sure what he had expected to see, perhaps a thug holding a knife in his hands ready to rob him or a group of gangsters looking for an easy target to beat the living shit out of. But it certainly wasn't the pink-haired boy that stood before him, face as porcelain as a doll's, and looking not much older than Jungkook himself.

"H-huh?" Jungkook managed to stammer out as the other boy squatted down in front of him, dark eyes meeting his for a brief moment. It happened very quickly. He could've sworn that the boy even winked at him before he vanished in plain sight right before Jungkook's eyes. But before Jungkook could figure out where the boy had gone or what had happened, he felt another sharp stab, this time at the back of his neck.

Dizzy. He was dizzy.

The sound of other footsteps approaching and the blurry silhouettes of two other figures as they came to a stop in front of him was the last thing Jungkook saw before his body finally betrayed him.

"Well done, Jimin...Now get us out of here before someone sees us." He heard one of them say before the tendril of darkness pulled him under.

Then it all went black.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Thank you for anyone who actually made it this far. I've had this story in my head for a while now and decided it was finally time to tell it. This is my very first BTS fanfiction, so apologies for any tags I may have missed. Will try to update the tags as the story progresses. - KookiesInTae


	2. The Golden Maknae

Jungkook awoke with a groan, vaguely aware of the hard ground beneath him as he slowly opened his eyes. It took him a moment to register the fact that he wasn't at home, or at work, or any place that he recognized for that matter. He immediately sat up, looking around in a panic as realization dawned on him and the memories of the earlier attack quickly flooded back into his mind.

"Go tell Namjoon that the kid's awake." He heard a voice say, followed by a rippling sound that made him nearly jump out of his skin.

He turned his body towards the source of the noise and was met with the sight of a boy with mint-colored hair staring back at him. Jungkook sprung to his feet, recoiling backwards in an attempt to put some distance between himself and the other boy.

The other boy didn't move, his tired eyes studying Jungkook silently as he stared back doe-eyed and unsure of what to do. Though Jungkook would have guessed that the boy was not much older than himself, the other boy looked as though he hadn't slept in years, the dark circles beneath his eyes prevalent against the contrast of his pale skin. He was smaller than Jungkook, the clothes on his back almost too big for him as they hung loose on his thin frame.

He heard the sound of footsteps approaching, presumably whoever the mint-haired boy had been talking to, and Jungkook's eyes widened, recognizing the pink hair and doll-like face from before. Beside him was a taller boy with silver hair, and Jungkook eyed them nervously as the three of them all turned to look at him.

"You don't have to be afraid. We're not here to hurt you." The boy with the silver hair assured, though that did little to quell Jungkook's nerves as he backed away from the boy's advances and felt the unmistakable surface of a wall pressing hard against his back. Jungkook swallowed.

The other boy's expression seemed almost sympathetic. "I"m sorry about the ambush earlier...You're a bit older than what we usually bring in, so we had to play it safe."

Jungkook didn't respond, unsure of what the other boy meant. Older than what they usually bring in...? He felt the sinking feeling return in the pit of his stomach at the implications of what the boy's words could mean. What was this place? What did they want with him? How long had he been out? Were his parents wondering where he was?

"Could you make us sound anymore like pedophiles?" The mint-haired one retorted, snapping Jungkook out of his thoughts.

The one with the pink hair let out a giggle and to his surprise, he saw that the taller boy who had addressed him looked almost embarrassed, his cheeks dusting with color at the other boy's remark. Jungkook shifted his weight from one foot to the other, feeling anxious as he watched their casual exchange.

"Ignore them." The taller boy said, his eyes fixing back onto Jungkook as he spoke. "As I was trying to say before, we're not here to hurt you...In fact, we've been looking for you for quite a while now." The boy explained, revealing a dimpled smile as the corner of his mouth picked up slightly. "I'm Namjoon. This is Jimin," He declared, pointing to the boy with the pink hair, who gave Jungkook a curt nod, "And that's Suga." Namjoon continued, throwing a quick glance at the boy with the mint hair before turning back to look at him. "What's your name?"

Despite Namjoon's gentle disposition, Jungkook couldn't help but feel as though this was all some kind of terrible trap to lower his defenses, the calm before the storm before they gutted him like a fish and sold his body parts to the black market. They may not have looked the part of a typical group of thugs or gangsters, but they had still kidnapped him all the same, and that was enough to keep Jungkook mum.

"You a mute or something, kid?" The one named Suga asked dryly, the silence having stretched on for too long.

"He doesn't look like the golden maknae to me." The one named Jimin hummed, looking unimpressed as his dark eyes gave Jungkook a once over. "Are you sure this is the right guy?"

"I'm sure." Suga countered immediately, his eyes having not left Jungkook once since the moment he stirred.

Namjoon paid them no mind, the gentle smile on his face unwavering as he allowed Jungkook as much time as he needed to reply. And when he didn't, the other boy didn't miss a beat, carrying on the conversation with ease as though it hadn't been entirely one-sided this whole time.

"We're going to be staying here together for a long time. We can call you 'kid' if you'd like, but I think I'd like it much better if we could call you by your actual name, don't you think?" Namjoon offered gently.

Jungkook felt as though his heart might burst out of his chest from just how quickly it was beating. The more the other boys spoke, the more confused he grew, and the less he understood any of the words that were coming out of their mouths. He didn't know what a golden maknae was, except for the fact that he wasn't one. Whoever they were looking for, it definitely wasn't Jungkook.

"Y-you have the wrong person." Was all he managed to get out, voice quaking.

"Ah. He speaks." Namjoon replied, the smile touching his eyes briefly before his features smoothed out into a serious expression. "Do you know how we found you?" The taller boy asked, pausing once more to allow Jungkook to respond and when Jungkook didn't, continued on. "Suga can see things. He sees things that haven't happened yet, things that are going to happen, things that _need_ to happen...It's how he found us here." He explained, gesturing all around them.

Beside him, the boy with the mint hair said nothing, his expression unreadable as his eyes bore into Jungkook.

"You see, Suga can see the future. He's probably the only one who knows what's going to happen to any of us." Namjoon murmured, watching Jungkook as he allowed time for his words to sink in before continuing. "Years ago when he was just a child, he had a vision that seven boys would go on to be the most powerful force that the world had ever seen." He mused, his eyes ablaze as he recounted the tale. "One by one, we did eventually end up finding one another. All but one, until now." He murmured softly. "And at long last, we've finally found you...our golden maknae."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Dundundun...the plot thickens! I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Bear with me as I relearn how to write fanfiction after an almost 10-year hiatus haha.


	3. Run, Run, Run

**Author's Note:** I am so sorry for the long wait. Hopefully everyone has been well-fed from all the wonderful photos and videos from their latest concerts. I know I have been! Also, some of you have mentioned wanting longer chapters, so I am happy to deliver. Thank you for being patient with me and hope you enjoy. ^_^

* * *

They were all looking at him and Jungkook felt as though he were some kind of strange specimen under the gaze of their burning magnifying glass. He didn't like it one bit. Not at all. But there was little he could do about it as he stood there, held hostage and cornered in an unfamiliar room in the middle of god-knew-where. Namjoon's explanation of how they came to find him did nothing to ease his confusion. If anything, it only managed to convince Jungkook of the fact that the 3 of them were more-than-likely completely out of their minds.

He'd heard the stories, brushed off the countless badgering sessions from his parents who constantly warned him of children who had been kidnapped over the years - mysteriously vanishing without a trace, no doubt to end up being sold or tortured...or worse. He just never thought that it could happen to him.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." Jungkook stammered out honestly, shaking his head as he desperately tried to convince them with the little resolve he had left.

Silence fell over the room and Namjoon seemed to study him for a moment, his expression indiscernible before he turned to look at Suga. Without returning the other boy's gaze, the mint-haired boy's jaw ticked slightly, reflecting his irritation. His eyes flickered to Jungkook and Jungkook faltered, attempting to swallow past the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. Though he was easily the smallest out of all of them in the room, there was something about Suga that made him the most intimidating out of all of them.

"Let me ask you something, kid." The mint-haired boy murmured, his dark eyes boring into Jungkook's as he spoke. "You ever feel like you were different from everyone else? Probably not like anyone in your family, your friends." He continued, seeming to scan every inch of the other boy's face as though he was seeing something only he could see. "Bet you were the fastest out of all your friends, the strongest? Still probably are, aren't you?"

"I…" Jungkook started, dumbstruck at the veracity of the other boy's words and unsure of what to say.

"Bet you're good at everything you do, no matter what it is, even if you've never done it before. That right?" Suga pressed on, leaving Jungkook at a loss for words as he could do little more than stare back at him with his mouth agape. "That's not some kind of coincidence, kid. There's a reason why you can do all of that and no one else can."

"I..." Jungkook croaked, fumbling over the only word he seemed to know at the moment.

"Deep down, you've always wondered, haven't you? If there was more than this?" The mint-haired boy murmured, his words seeming to fly more rapidly from his lips the more he spoke. "That's because you _are_ different. You have all of these abilities and you don't even have the slightest idea of what you're capable of. Do you?"

Jungkook shook his head, his eyebrows furrowing together as he shut his eyes. It was all beginning to become too much for him and as much as Jungkook didn't want to believe it, there was some truth to Suga's words and just how closely they hit home. It was as though the other boy had tapped into the place that Jungkook had always kept tucked away in the far back corner of his mind, where all his unspoken curiosity, self-doubt, and hope that he'd never allowed himself to feel lived inside of him. He didn't know how the other boy could've possibly known those things about him. All he knew was that whatever this was, whoever these people were, he wanted no part in it. He needed to escape this place if it was the last thing he did.

And with that, Jungkook forced himself to open his eyes, drawing a shallow breath as he did so. He parted his lips to speak and this time, by some miracle, found that his voice didn't shake as he pleaded one last time.

"...Please let me go. My parents are probably wondering where I am."

The room fell silent once more and Jungkook swore he could hear the sound of his blood pounding in his ears as seconds, minutes, lifetimes seemed to pass by before any of them moved. Namjoon was the first to step out of the way and when he did, Suga followed suit and then Jimin and before Jungkook knew it, the three of them had cleared a path for him to what he now saw was a door at the other end of the room. And yet, Jungkook couldn't seem to move. He swallowed, glancing nervously between the door and the three boys. It was slightly unsettling just how easily they had all obliged…perhaps almost _too_ easily.

As if reading his mind, Jimin gestured towards the door with a sweep of his arm, a tiny smile playing on his lips. Jungkook nodded curtly, forcing himself to take a few small steps forward away from the wall. He gave the other boys an awkward bow as he passed them, an odd time for mannerisms, but he didn't want to take any chances in case they decided to change their minds. Before he knew it, Jungkook had taken one, two, three steps towards the door. He was nearly there now, felt the cold metal against his fingertips as they curled around the doorknob to twist it, heard the sweet sound of hinges creaking as it opened.

"T-thank-" Jungkook had begun to turn back and say, but not before the sound of something whistling came flying in his direction and narrowly missed his face as it landed in the door frame beside him. He yelped, turning to see what had nearly skewered him and felt his heart stop when he saw that it was a knife. The scream never quite left Jungkook's throat, especially when he'd made the mistake of turning to see where it had come from, and suddenly wished that he hadn't.

"This is taking too long." The boy with the pink-haired yawned, the glint of something shiny reflecting off the light as he turned it in his hands. "Is it my turn yet?"

* * *

Jungkook could recall one other time he had ever felt this scared. He was 9 years old and had taken the wrong turn home one night and found himself on the wrong side town. For hours, he had walked around, hoping to find any familiar storefront or street sign, but instead was met with a pack of stray dogs, teeth bared and foaming at the mouth, and all he could think to do was run. Run like his life depended on it, run until his lungs were burning as though he had swallowed water and was gasping for air. And no matter how much his legs ached from running, he knew that he couldn't stop - not if he wanted to live.

But that was nothing like the fear that he felt now and even though this was so much worse than being chased by a pack of rabid dogs, Jungkook did the only thing he could think to do. He ran - ran for his life as though it depended on it, because it did. He didn't dare look back as he bolted down the hallway in a desperate attempt to find a way out. He didn't know how long he had been running for, but he knew that there was only one objective: to get the fuck out. As he turned a corner of what seemed to be an endless maze, Jungkook felt the slightest shred of hope as his eyes fell upon the expanse of doors in front of him. He didn't think he'd ever moved so fast in his life, frantically jostling each door knob in an effort to pry any of them open. But his heart sank as quickly as it had arisen. All of them were locked. All of them that was, except for one door at the end of the hall that he had yet to try.

Sparing a quick glance in the direction he had come from, Jungkook bolted down the hallway. He had never been particularly religious, but in that moment he prayed to whatever was out there that if he had ever done anything worthy in his 18 short years of life, the door would open for him. With one last-ditch attempt, Jungkook yanked the door open and when it gave under his touch, he swore that he could've cried. He didn't care where it led to, as long as it was away - anything that would put distance between him and the knife-wielding psycho with pink hair.

Or so Jungkook thought.

Before he even had a chance to take more than two steps into the room, there was that same rippling noise from earlier and suddenly something sharp nicked against his ear. He yelped, the sound echoing throughout the empty space as he brought his hand up to clutch the side of his ear. Something hit the floor in front of him with a dull pang and his gaze shifted to meet the source of noise, only to feel bile rise up in the back of his throat as he saw the knife and the unmistakable coat of red that stained the tip.

Jungkook turned around to face his assailant, mechanically and painstakingly slow as he realized that he had nowhere to go even if he wanted to, and there the other boy stood, a look of mild amusement in his eyes.

"Y-you're crazy." Was all Jungkook managed to get out, hand still clamped over his ear as he willed it to stop bleeding.

The other boy's lips quirked up into a smirk.

"Maybe so." Jimin replied, before producing another knife from what seemed to be thin air.

"Now I know that you can't possibly be the Golden Maknae just because you're fast." The other boy mused, turning the dagger around between his fingers menacingly. "So show me what you can really do." He grinned before lunging forward.

* * *

Jungkook had never been in a fight before. At school, he would occasionally have to wrestle other students in PE (and that was only to pass the class) but flipping other kids on their backs and putting them into headlocks was about as violent as things ever got. But this wasn't PE class and nothing in his life had ever prepared him to deal with the predicament that he found himself in now. He was focused, his eyes fixated on the fast movements of the other boy's lashes as the blade swung haphazardly at him. He wasn't sure if it was the adrenaline rush or just beginner's luck that was allowing him to dodge the other boy's advances. But whatever it was, he couldn't keep it up forever. He knew that Jimin had no plans of relenting and that sooner or later he was going to have to fight.

"Come on. Play with me." Jimin taunted, as though reading his mind, and suddenly, the knife in his hand was a silver blur as it tore through the fabric of his shirt and sliced Jungkook across his shoulder.

Jungkook cried out in pain, and for a moment all he could register was the searing agony of his shoulder on fire. But Jimin didn't seem bothered in the slightest. In fact, it was almost as though the other boy had been waiting for the opportunity to kick Jungkook when he was down because that was exactly what he did. Within seconds, the pink-haired boy had Jungkook flat on his back, leaving him winded and gasping for air as he grazed the blood-stained knife against Jungkook's cheek, smearing it red.

"I could kill you right now, you know?" The pink-hair boy whispered, his eyes darkening with what was unmistakably excitement. "Cut up that pretty little face of yours...What do you think?" He cooed, letting his words hang in the air as the knife continued to brush against Jungkook's face.

All Jungkook could hear was the sound of his blood rushing in his ears as he stared back up at Jimin, his chest heaving unsteadily as the boy spoke. This was it. This was the end. He was going to die a virgin at the hands of a deranged lunatic, in a pool of his own blood without anyone knowing what had happened to him. _I'm sorry, eomma. I'm sorry, appa. _Jungkook squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that the other boy would end it quickly, despite the fact that he knew that someone like Jimin was probably the last person on earth who would make anything quick and painless.

"That's enough, Jimin." A voice that Jungkook was convinced could have actually belonged to an angel said. His eyes shot open and to his surprise, the pink haired boy's lips had jutted out in a pout and he spared Jungkook one last look before pushing himself off in one smooth motion. "We were just having a little fun." Jimin assured, leaning down to hoist Jungkook to his feet swiftly as though he weighed little more than a paperweight.

Jungkook blinked, eyes wide as saucers as he stood rooted to the spot, not being able to do much else. Suddenly, Namjoon came into sight as he pushed past Jimin, his eyes filled with concern as he placed his hands on both sides of Jungkook's shoulders to inspect the boy. When his fingers brushed against the open gash on his shoulder, Jungkook hissed, and Namjoon immediately removed his grip, looking apologetic.

"Aigoo..." Namjoon murmured to himself as his eyes swept over Jungkook's injuries. "I'm sorry about this. Jimin can get a little...excitable when it comes to new friends. Let's get you checked out by Jin."

"I doubt he's going to make it that far. Kid's gonna pass out any second." Suga's voice sounded matter-of-factly from somewhere behind them. If the mint-haired boy hadn't said anything, Jungkook wouldn't have even known he was there. But that could've also been due to the fact that he was starting to get tunnel vision. He blinked hard, trying to force away the black spots that were dancing at the corner of his eyes.

"He's alright. Are you okay to walk..?" Namjoon asked gently, as he placed his hands on either side of the younger boy's arms to steady him. "Don't worry. We'll have you back to normal and feeling good as new in no time."

Namjoon turned around, his eyebrows knitting together as he shot a look at Jimin. "Could you please put those away?" The boy with the pink hair obliged, a mischievous smile on his face as he tucked the knife in his hand back in his pocket and walked over to retrieve the other one that laid blood-stained and abandoned not too far away.

Jungkook blinked hard. The black spots had begun to spread, flooding the rims of his vision and making it difficult to see. It felt like his brain had short-circuited and it was as though the room had just become ten times hotter as if someone had turned on the furnace.

"Feel hot..." Jungkook murmured out loud and Namjoon turned his attention back to him just in time to catch the younger boy as Jungkook's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell limply into Namjoon's arms.

"Told you." Suga quipped, the pink haired boy stifling a giggle beside him as the leader looked down at the younger boy's lifeless form and sighed.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Curiouser and curiouser...let me know what you guys think so far! Feel free to leave a comment or come talk to me on twitter KookiesInTae ^_^


	4. 0613

**Author's Note: **Happy FESTA, everyone! Thank you for your comments. I truly appreciate each and every one.

* * *

Jungkook woke with a start, sucking in a sharp breath as he bolted upright in bed. His hands immediately flew up to touch the side of his face, then his shoulder, then the rest of him as though making sure every part was still intact. And when he found that he was, Jungkook sighed in relief, shaking his head weakly as he drew in a couple of deep breaths. That was by far the weirdest dream he had ever had and definitely the last time he drank any espresso before bed.

He dropped his head back against the pillow, closing his eyes and basking in the rare moment of solitude that was usually short-lived anyway before his mom busted into his room to get him up for class or his shift at the bakery. What day was it anyway? Jungkook dug his palms into his eyes, rubbing the sleep from them as he made a grab for his phone, only to look up in confusion when his hand met empty space where his nightstand usually stood.

What the-Jungkook froze, his entire body tensing as his eyes slowly drifted to look around his room. Except it wasn't his room at all. It wasn't any place that he recognized. He felt his blood run cold then, immediately throwing himself out of the bed to distance himself from it. Where the hell was he? How did he get here? He tried to swallow past the lump in his throat, his eyes darting all around as he fought back the whimper that threatened to escape from his mouth. As much as Jungkook wanted to cry, he also didn't want to risk making a sound. He wasn't sure what or who might've been waiting on the other side of the door.

Okay, think Jungkook, think.

He tried to steady his breathing, ignoring the threat of tears that were building at the back his eyes as he tried to think of a plan. How much time did he have before whoever had brought him here came back? Would he find the same boys that had taken him yesterday or would they have handed him off by now to an even greater threat? He stifled a tiny groan in frustration. Jungkook had no idea what he was doing. He had nothing to compare this to. He'd never been kidnapped.

Suddenly, there was a sound from behind the bedroom door and Jungkook stiffened, scrubbing his face of any tears as he braced himself. He glanced around quickly, trying to find something to defend himself with and finding nothing, settled for holding his hands up in front of him, despite how ridiculous he felt.

To his relief (if one could call it that) a tuft of silver hair popped into view, followed by the familiar features of a boy...that Jungkook recognized? "Oh. You're awake." Namjoon said. "How are you feeling?"

Jungkook blinked, finding himself unable to reply, his hands still balled into fists in front of him, as Namjoon stood by the door. When it became apparent that he wasn't going to be getting any sort of response, the older boy cleared his throat. "...Well, Jin's made breakfast. Why don't you come and have some? You must be hungry."

As if on cue, his stomach released a ferocious growl and Jungkook wanted to kick himself from embarrassment. The betrayal. Namjoon smiled, taking in the younger boy's red eyes and the tension in his stance. "...I know that this all doesn't make a lot of sense right now. But I promise I'll explain everything soon."

Jungkook hesitated. Despite the fact that he had known the other boy for less than a day and that he had nothing else to go off of, he couldn't help but feel as though Namjoon didn't actually want to harm him. He could hardly believe he was even thinking such a thing, considering the fact that the older boy had been one of three to abduct him. But even still, Jungkook couldn't seem to bring himself to harbor any ill feelings towards Namjoon. There was no stranger danger, no red flags going off in his head like there should have been...It was almost as if he wanted to trust him.

"...Okay." Jungkook said after a moment as he nodded weakly.

"Great. Why don't you go ahead and get ready then? There's some fresh clothes for you to choose from in the closet and toiletries for you in the bathroom." The older boy explained upon seeing the questioning look on Jungkook's face, not saying much else as he gave the younger boy one last smile and let the door shut behind him.

* * *

Once he had finished getting ready, he opened the door gingerly and peeked outside and found Namjoon waiting there for him. They walked in silence, with Jungkook stealing the occasional glance at Namjoon every couple of paces and Namjoon staring straight ahead with the same pleasant smile on his face the entire time. He felt a little strange to say the least, walking with someone he didn't know to some_place_ he didn't know. Not to mention why anyone would have a need for a spare lavish bedroom equipped with a closet that held more clothes and shoes than Jungkook had probably ever owned in his entire life. Some of them didn't even have tags or the brand names on them, but Jungkook could just tell by the way they felt against his skin that they were expensive.

"I wanted to introduce you to some people," Namjoon said after a moment. He seemed to sense Jungkook's hesitation and quickly added, "I don't want you to be afraid, okay? They won't hurt you or lay a hand on you, and neither will I." He assured though Jungkook wasn't quite sure how true that could be. He gulped, feeling much like his feet had suddenly turned to lead the further they walked. Namjoon seemed nice enough, but what was to say that these people would be anywhere near as welcoming as he was?

The rest of the walk was quiet and Namjoon didn't try to force a conversation between them, which Jungkook appreciated. When they finally came to a stop in front of a set of gargantuan wooden doors, Jungkook made a noise, barely above a whisper. He suddenly felt as though he should say something, just in case they happened to be the last words that he ever spoke.

Namjoon turned to look at him. "Pardon?"

He sighed, drawing in a shaky breath as he tried again.

"...M'name's Jungkook."

The older boy's mouth spread into a soft smile, dimple digging into the side of his cheek as he did so. "It's nice to finally meet you, Jungkook-ssi." And with that, Namjoon pushed the doors open.

There were no words to describe what laid before Jungkook's eyes as the doors swung open to reveal a hall so gorgeous, it looked as though he had stepped into a palace that belonged to royalty. It reminded him of the museums he used to visit as a kid that featured statues of the Greek and Roman gods, except those paled in comparison to the sculptures before him now that adorned every corner of the room.

He found it hard to believe that anyone could create something of such breathtaking beauty. Pillars taller than the eye could see, made of black marble with ripples of white, each pattern on the floor so intricate that he wouldn't have been surprised if someone had delicately painted it by hand.

The sound of their footsteps echoed throughout the enormous hall as they walked and Jungkook wondered just how inconceivably vast this place really was, when finally the outline of other people came into sight, outlines that became a group of boys, some who were chatting excitedly amongst themselves and others who seemed to be just waking up.

As soon as they saw Jungkook however, the boys immediately stopped talking, their eyes all turning to observe the new arrivals as the sounds of their shoes clicked against the marble. It was intimidating, to say the least, to have so many sets of eyes on him and it felt like an eternity had passed before they finally reached the dining table.

Nobody said anything and Jungkook swallowed nervously, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as he suddenly found himself quite interested in memorizing the pattern of the marble tiles on the floor.

"Brothers," Namjoon said after far too long. "I'd like you all to meet our newest member, Jungkook-ssi." He announced as he placed a firm hand on the younger boy's shoulder and gave it a little squeeze.

Member…? Jungkook thought to himself as he looked up to see them all gesturing in acknowledgment in some way or another.

"Ah, so this is our Golden Maknae." A boy with blonde hair quipped, looking at him with interest. "You're looking a lot better than you were yesterday when you were unconscious on my floor."

When Jungkook gave him a confused look in return, he looked almost offended. "What, you don't remember me? Thanks to me and these hands, you no longer look like you came straight out of a zombie apocalypse."

"Jin is the one who helped patch you up yesterday. It's why you don't have any injuries anymore." Namjoon explained, throwing an accusatory look over at Jimin, who returned the look with a smirk.

"I said I was sorry." The boy with the pink hair replied. (Jungkook didn't think he looked sorry at all.)

"You've met Suga and Jimin." Namjoon continued with an exasperated sigh. "That over there is Hoseok." He turned to where an orange-haired boy sat and gave him an enthusiastic wave. His hair reminded Jungkook of the sunset and he found himself smiling a bit and giving the other boy a tiny wave in return, though he wasn't sure when he had allowed himself to do so.

He had a passing thought that they all look like they had been thrown up by some kind of rainbow, all of their heads ranging from a spectrum of colors, from the buoyant hue of Jimin's bubblegum pink to the muted but striking sliver of Namjoon's.

"I can't tell you how great it is to finally meet you after all of this time. Suga-hyung won't tell us anything, but is it true that you're good at everything...like _everything_?" The boy named Hoseok piped, his brown eyes sparkling expectantly.

"Um…" It was a weird question and Jungkook wasn't really sure how to answer it, especially when they were all staring at him as if Namjoon had just told them he could walk on water, which he most certainly could not.

"Let's save the interrogation until after breakfast. There will be plenty of time for questions later. We have a long day ahead of us. So everyone, eat while you can." Namjoon interjected and Jungkook was grateful for the distraction. "Here Jungkook, you can sit next to me until you decide where it is you'd rather sit." He offered as he gestured to the empty seat next to him. Jungkook nodded sheepishly as he sunk into the chair beside the leader. He didn't miss the fact that there were 7 chairs, but only 6 of them. He wondered vaguely who the 7th chair could have belonged to, but didn't have time to give it too much thought before he finally noticed (or rather smelled) all the food that was in front of him.

On the table was all kinds of dishes, banchans of all sorts: galbi, spicy seafood salad, kongnamul bab, spicy stewed fish, oi naengguk, seasoned kelp, and musaengchae. He felt himself drooling from the sight of it all, not realizing just how hungry he was until he heard his stomach grumble loud enough to puncture the silence in the dining hall.

They all laughed and Jungkook's eyes grew wide, mortified at how his body had been betraying him as of late.

"Cute." Namjoon chuckled.

"Well, don't be shy. I didn't cook all this food just for nothing, you know." Jin remarked as he picked up some cold noodles and shoveled them into his mouth.

Jungkook nibbled on his bottom lip nervously as he took the set of chopsticks in front of him between his fingers, watching for a moment as the rest of them began to eat.

Once he was certain that he had seen a portion of each dish consumed by someone or another and that they hadn't specifically set aside any particular dish to poison him with, Jungkook followed suit, picking at various foods and nibbling on them gingerly. He hummed to himself. Jin was a good cook.

Whatever the day had in store for him, Jungkook figured that he would allow himself the pleasure of enjoying what could be his last meal. Even though he knew it was a lie, Jungkook could still pretend that these group of boys wanted to be his friends, that he was this "Golden Maknae" they were searching for, and that they weren't going to kill him as soon as they found out that he wasn't.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Come talk to me on twitter at KookiesInTae ^_^


	5. Attack of The Sasaengs

Jungkook had stayed behind with Namjoon to clean up once they had all finished breakfast and the rest of the group had dispersed to presumably go about the day's affairs. As he followed the other boy into the kitchen with a stack of plates in hand, Jungkook vaguely wondered why in a place this huge that there were only 6 of them, and if they _could _afford to live in a place like this, why wasn't anyone else around to help?

"So you must have questions?" Namjoon asked as he turned on the water from the sink, bringing Jungkook out of his reverie.

That was the understatement of the year.

Jungkook didn't even know where to start. He hadn't expected any of this (as he thought he'd be dead by now) and now that he actually had the opportunity to ask, he found himself drawing a blank at what was quite possibly the worst time to draw one. So he blurted out the first thing that came to his head.

"Why do all of you guys have such colorful hair? Is it a gang thing?" He asked.

At this, Namjoon let out a chuckle, his eyes crinkling with mirth as he glanced at Jungkook from where he was scrubbing at the dishes.

"They call us Idols." Namjoon replied matter-of-factly, as though that explained everything and made perfect sense. "We were born this way...It's a bit of a mystery why yours is black. But I suppose it's one of the reasons that you managed to live under wraps as long as you have. And we're not a gang if that's what you're worried about. We don't hurt people...not unless we have a good reason to."

Jungkook swallowed, not entirely sure how to process Namjoon's response. His fingers reflexively moved to touch his ear, recalling the piercing nick of Jimin's dagger where it had struck him.

"...Except Jimin. But he's working on it." Namjoon threw in light-heartedly.

Jungkook was thoughtful for a moment, letting the sounds of the running sink water fill the room as he quietly dried the plates that Namjoon had set aside.

"So if you're not a gang, then what are you? What is this place..?"

He didn't know where all the sudden talkativeness had come from. For some reason, Jungkook found that it was easy to talk to Namjoon. He wanted to talk to him, to trust him. He just hoped that he wouldn't regret it.

"This place is where we call home."

"We?"

"Yes, we. We as in Bangtan."

"...Bangtan?" Jungkook repeated, genuinely curious.

"Yes. We're Bangtan. All 7 of us...and now that you're here, we're finally complete." Namjoon beamed. He was doing it again, saying things so casually, as though Jungkook should've known exactly what he was talking about. "It's a little hard to explain, but I promise everything will all make sense soon." He assured, upon seeing the puzzled look on Jungkook's face.

"I think there's been some kind of mistake," Jungkook replied, placing the dish in his hands onto the drying rack. "This...Gold Maknae you're looking for. I-it's not me. I tried to tell you guys from the beginning that it's not me."

The sound of the running water cut off abruptly and Namjoon turned to face him, drying his hands off on a dishtowel. The other boy's expression was serious now and Jungkook felt himself wringing the towel in his hands nervously.

"How do you know?" Namjoon asked simply.

Jungkook gaped at him, his mouth opening and closing around words that didn't come out. "I don't even know what that is." He answered honestly, his voice small.

Namjoon hummed. "Suga-hyung had a vision once that said there would be an Idol more powerful than the rest. This Idol would excel at everything they ever did and they would surpass any other in strength, speed, competence. Even if they'd never done it before, they would learn it at an alarmingly fast rate."

Jungkook's head was spinning. There was that word again. "I-idol?"

Namjoon nodded his head in confirmation. "It's not just colorful hair that we're born with...it's the gifts that come with it too." When Jungkook didn't respond (or rather couldn't), the older boy continued. "We're born with these gifts - _powers _you could call them, they're a manifestation of our characteristics and personalities, and as we get older, they can become very hard to hide. Most children who are Idols wouldn't even be able to last in the outside world without the proper training...Except for you, Jungkook...which is why you are so very rare."

"But-I...huh?" Was all the boy could manage to say in reply. Jungkook didn't have any _gifts _or powers or any of that. If he did, he definitely would have known about them. "But I don't _have _any powers." He insisted, almost pleading. "I swear on everything that I love that I don't."

"Have you ever tried?" Namjoon countered patiently.

Jungkook let out a small noise in frustration. "Yes, of course. As a kid. I can't-I don't-" He stuttered. "I'm not one of you guys. I'm just normal."

When Namjoon only continued to look at him, he sighed in exasperation. "You said it yourself, Namjoon-ssi. My hair is black like a _normal_person...I-I can't fly, I don't have super strength, I can't shoot lasers from my hands."

"It's not always like the movies." Namjoon murmured finally with a tiny smile. "Not all abilities can be seen with the eyes. But they are still abilities nonetheless. Take your cuts and wounds for example. They're all gone, aren't they?"

"...What's your power?" Jungkook asked.

"I'm pretty good at being a leader once you get to know me." Namjoon offered gently.

Jungkook looked at him with a confused expression as if expecting the other boy to say more, but Namjoon didn't. Being "a good leader" hardly fit the bill of what Jungkook would have constituted as a superpower, but he didn't really know what he was expecting anymore. All of this was making less and less sense. He was tired and ready for all of this to be over.

"...And when do I get to go home?" Jungkook asked in a small voice, perhaps not ready to hear the answer.

Namjoon was quiet as he stared back at him, an unreadable look in his eyes.

"This is your home now, Jungkook." He said after a moment.

"...What?"

"It's a miracle how you managed to survive this long on your own without having been attacked. Idols-they attract attention, Jungkook, and an Idol your age, untrained, is a danger to not just the people around you, but yourself."

Jungkook had stopped listening. He was feeling dizzy again like he had the other night, where the world was becoming too overwhelming and the only thing he seemed to be able to focus on was the roar of rushing blood in his ears.

"Y-you can't keep me here. I have a family, a-a life, things to do-"

"We all had families. But this isn't something that's negotiable. It's not safe for you anymore. If we were finally able to track you down after all these years, that means there are others who will be looking for you too." Namjoon interjected, a grim expression falling over his features.

"So what? You're just going to keep me here? L-like some kind of prisoner?"

Namjoon's face softened. "You're not a prisoner. Nor will you ever be here."

The older boy paused, nibbling on the inside of his cheek thoughtfully as if he didn't quite know where to start. "I wish I could tell you everything, Jungkook. I really do. But there are certain things that you're supposed to learn on your own...I don't quite understand it either. But I trust Suga-hyung."

Jungkook didn't say anything. His hands had clenched into fists, the mundane task of drying dishes long but forgotten, as he stared back at the other boy, willing any of this to make sense.

"Let's make a deal, okay?" Namjoon tendered softly. "One month. Give me one month to prove to you that you are truly special, and if I can, you stay."

"And if I'm not?"

"Then you're free to go."

Jungkook fell silent as he considered this for a moment. The only person who had made any real effort to talk to him during these past 24 hours had been Namjoon. He, and presumably, the others had given him a place to sleep, fresh clothes, food to eat. But even still, Jungkook still knew little to nothing about this place. There wasn't any guarantee that they would keep their promise or if any of what Namjoon was telling him held any truth. But kept here in their home, without a way to the outside world, Jungkook had no choice but to agree. At least until he could figure out a way out of here.

"And my parents? They'll wonder where I am."

"Already taken care of." Namjoon started to say, resulting in Jungkook nearly losing it at the implications of his statement before he quickly added, "I mean that they've been informed of your absence. They're safe, Jungkook."

He nodded weakly, perhaps a little relieved at the fact that his parents hadn't been offed after all.

"What did you tell them?" He asked, swiping his tongue across his bottom lip nervously.

"Well technically, you left a note."

"...What?" Jungkook breathed.

"They think that you've been accepted into one of Seoul's most prestigious training academies training to be a _K-Pop _star and that you aren't allowed to contact anyone or use your phone for a while."

Jungkook blinked in disbelief. "What?" He said again.

"Clever, isn't it? It's one of the few things in life that no one would ever question in a place like Korea. It's a pity the way those kids are treated. But make no mistake, Jungkook-ssi. You're nowhere near such a circumstance."

"How could they...T-they couldn't have believed that." Jungkook muttered to himself.

"We sent our best member out to Busan today to reassure them of your safety."

Jungkook stared back at the older boy, tongue poking into the side of cheek as he tried to piece together all this new information. He didn't know how to feel. Fuming at the presumption that these people not only knew where he lived but had probably been watching and following him for far longer than the time it took to abduct him. Betrayed that his parents could so blindly believe that he would do such a thing as leaving a note and vanishing, not even questioning the bizarrity of it all. Did they even know he was missing? Were they even worried about him?

"This may seem hard to believe now, but this is where you're the safest. This is where you belong."

Jungkook vigorously shook his head as if to banish the other boy's words from his mind. He was done trying to reason with these people.

"Fine." He bit out. "One month to show you all that I'm not...this person, whoever it is you're looking for...and then I get to go back home and you promise to leave me and my family alone." He said with as much grit as he could muster, but he knew his voice was shaking.

If Namjoon had noticed it, he didn't say anything and only nodded gently.

"Thank you...I know it sounds impossible right now, but in time you will learn to like this place, just as we all did."

Jungkook looked away, his gaze dropping to stare at the marble floor. He would let them run their stupid tests and experiments. He would prove that he was just an ordinary kid who didn't have any _gifts _or _powers _or anything, and they would let him go back home to his life in Busan and...and...and then what? Go back to school where he would continue to scrape by just so his parents could be happy? Work shifts at the cafe making minimum wage until he figured out something he was actually good at? Go straight from home, to school, to work, and back home again where he'd lay in bed every night knowing that there was an entire world like this going on with him or without. How could he go back after this?

Even as Namjoon led him back to the room in which he'd awoken when the day had started, Jungkook lay in bed for hours, staring into space and waiting for sleep to come over him. But it never did.

* * *

True to his word, Namjoon set to work right away on trying to prove to Jungkook that he was, in fact, super. Although it didn't seem like much to Jungkook, Namjoon seemed especially impressed by the fact that he was good at just about everything the older boy made him do.

Namjoon tested everything from his memorization skills to his mathematics skills, from his ability to sculpt to his ability to play "Careless Whisper" on the saxophone, before moving onto more physically-taxing tests such as sports and obstacle courses, in which Jungkook particularly excelled.

When he wasn't being treated like some kind of lab rat, Jungkook spent his days holed up in the room they had given him to stay in. He hated that it was nicer than his own room back home. He hated how the stupid mini-fridge always seemed to be stocked with every snack and drink he could think of, hated how the shelves were lined with every possible video game that he would drool over back at home, hated how the closet held all these expensive pieces of clothing that he normally could only ever dream of owning.

He didn't eat with the group, always passing on whatever invitation Namjoon had to offer, which he did every day, twice a day for breakfast and dinner. Despite this, the leader didn't ever try to push and allowed Jungkook to do as he wished, and for that he was grateful. Each day welcomed another mark on the calendar as Jungkook slowly counted down the days. It was still so far away from a month's time, but making those lines in his notebook gave him that much more hope that he was closer to returning to the life he knew. He had even resorted to napping to pass the time in hopes that it would make the time go by quicker.

It was at the end of week 2 when Jungkook heard the door open as he lazily sketched at his desk. He didn't bother to look up at Namjoon, didn't know why the older boy even bothered anymore knowing that he was just going to say no like he always did.

But it wasn't Namjoon's voice this time.

"That's enough sulking for a lifetime, kid. You didn't die. So stop acting like it."

Jungkook's eyes grew wide at the foreign voice and he looked up to see the mint-haired boy standing against the door with his arms crossed. He schooled his features, the grip on his pencil tightening slightly as he turned his attention back to his sketch.

"'m not hungry." He muttered simply, hoping that would suffice enough to make the other boy leave.

He felt the intensity of Suga's stare burning a hole into the side of his head and it was all he could do to focus on the movement of his pencil as it stroked back and forth on the sketchbook in front of him.

"We can go outside if you want." The mint-haired boy mused. "I'll even take you to Busan to see your parents."

Jungkook immediately whipped his head up, scanning the other boy's eyes for any sign of deceit and finding none as Suga gazed back with hard eyes.

"R-really?" He whispered, the tremble in his voice betraying any semblance of composure he had attempted to have moments ago.

"Hurry up before I change my mind." Was all the other boy replied as he pushed himself off the door frame and left.

* * *

"Can you drive?" Suga asked when Jungkook had appeared in the hallway a few moments later, hair askew and heart beating fast in his chest from having gotten ready so quickly.

"Uh...Yes."

"Good. Let's go." The other boy said as he chucked something at Jungkook.

He reached out to catch it without thinking and it landed in his hand with a jingle. Car keys.

"Narcolepsy. That's what the doctors think anyway." Suga explained as they drove. "No one in their right mind would give me a license...Not exactly like I could tell them otherwise anyway."

The other boy said, his voice muffled from behind the mask that covered the bottom half of his face. On the other half sat a bucket hat that was pulled down to his ears, hiding any sign of the boy's mint green hair (and any of his features really.) He wondered how the other boy could see anything, considering the fact that Jungkook could barely make out Suga's eyes, but perhaps that was the point.

Jungkook hands tightened on the steering wheel as they drove past tall buildings and throngs of people: students, workers, families all going about their day-to-day business.

The windows in the car were so tinted, he wondered how any of it was legal. It made him nervous to think about the type of people who would have a need for this much privacy from the public eye. The only people that came to mind were celebrities or the mafia, and Jungkook hoped more than anything that it wasn't the latter. For a split second, he thought about how he could probably jump out of the car right now. If he did it right at this moment, he'd land in the middle of the crowd and there wouldn't be anything that Suga could do to stop him, certainly not with all these people around...But Jungkook didn't have the slightest idea of where he was or where they were going, and yet these people had every idea...about him, about his family...and so, he didn't. He couldn't. Not yet.

For whatever reason, they wound up in Daegu, sitting on a bench in the middle of an outdoor marketplace, not doing much of anything as they watched the people go by. He was tempted to ask why they had come here, as he was almost certain that Daegu was _not _Busan, but decided to give it the benefit of the doubt for the time being. At least he was outside amongst other people instead of being trapped inside whatever jailhouse they were keeping him at.

"This is the town where I'm from." The mint-haired boy explained after a moment, seeming to read Jungkook's thoughts. "I left a long time ago...It's hard, but I have to do what needs to be done." He murmured, more to himself than anyone else as he stared at something far ahead.

Jungkook silently followed his gaze to where he was watching an older woman with glasses picking out fruit, unaware of the pairs of curious eyes upon her. Jungkook saw it then, even if he couldn't make out Suga's features from behind the confines of his mask, none of that mattered because he saw them all now - the same eyes, the same nose, the same mouth...

"Is that-

"My mom." Suga replied. "Yeah."

But the older boy didn't move or elaborate on the subject any further.

"...Don't you want to say hi to her?" Jungkook asked, after what had seemed like far too long of a silence.

The mint-haired boy turned to look at him with a serious expression. "Honestly, she'd probably be dead in a week if we went any closer...Love makes you weak. Remember that." Suga said coldly as he slid off the bench and began to walk back towards the car.

Jungkook blinked, wide-eyed and helpless as he looked between the mint-haired boy's retreating form and the older women still picking produce at the market.

"Come on, kid. Busan's a long drive." Suga's voice called out. He didn't look back.

As they walked to the car, Jungkook felt his stomach rumble slightly, betraying him again as the smell of street food waft past his senses. He threw a glance at the passing shops, eyeing the display cases hungrily.

"Uh...Suga-ssi." He couldn't believe what he was about to say. "Could we...pick up some food for the drive? 'm kind of hungry."

The other boy let out a grunt in annoyance. "Alright, fine. But make it quick."

"Umm..." Jungkook replied, looking awkward as he stared back at the older boy with a sheepish expression.

With a roll of his eyes, Suga dug his hands into his pockets and handed him a few crumpled bills.

* * *

Truth be told, Jungkook probably should've used this moment to call his parents or get some help. But instead, he was digging through the fridge for some cold banana milk to go along with the bag of Banana Kick he had in his hands. In his defense, he would be seeing his parents soon anyway...he just needed to make sure that he had the essentials for the drive.

He made his way over to the empty checkout counter, waiting for the store clerk to get back so that he could pay. After a few minutes had passed with no signs of the clerk, Jungkook frowned, leaning back slightly to peer down the aisles. Where was everybody?

"Excuse me?" He called out meekly, peeking over the counter to look around.

He heard some shuffling from the back room and straightened up, and after a few moments, a pretty girl with long hair appeared to greet him. Jungkook immediately averted his gaze, flustered.

"Well, aren't you handsome?" The girl giggled as she punched the buttons of the cash register, causing the color in his cheeks to flush even deeper. "That'll be 1,500 won."

Jungkook quickly handed over the money, face burning as he willed time to move faster. Why the hell was he so bad at this? And _of course, _it was when he was buying banana milk like some kind of child. But instead of taking the bills in his hand, the store clerk grabbed onto his wrist and Jungkook looked up in confusion as the girl brought his hand up to her face and...sniffed him?

"...N-noona?" He swallowed, his eyes drifting up to where her fingers were curled daintily around his wrist.

"You smell tasty too." She purred, before _licking_ _a stripe _across his skin and causing Jungkook to yelp in surprise as he immediately tried to pull his arm back. The grip only tightened. "I think I'm going to keep you here with me. What do you think?" She giggled as her lips slowly pulled back to reveal a set of menacingly sharp teeth. "We could get married...Everyone else would be so jealous."

It felt like someone had thrown a bucket of ice water down Jungkook's back. He shrunk back as the girl's pupils dilated, the irises in her eyes reducing to slivers as she gazed back at him hungrily.

"P-please let go." He stuttered, attempting to yank against the girl's vice grip, but it was in vain.

"What? Don't you like me, oppa?" The girl pouted, the grasp on his wrist tightening as her fingers slowly morphed into sharp black claws. "You're hurting my feelings, you know."

Jungkook whimpered as he furiously shook his head, tugging against her. "S-Sugassi." He tried to stammer out, but his voice barely came out above a whisper.

At this, the girl...the creature, _whatever _it was, cocked her head to look at him. "Oh? You brought a friend. I thought I smelled more than one." She grinned as she ran a long, scaly tongue across her lips in anticipation. "But I can already tell you're going to be my favorite." She said, just as her jaw unlatched and she plunged forward.

The hacking sound of knife meeting skin suddenly filled the air, followed by a high-pitched shriek as the creature abandoned its hold on Jungkook's arm, clawing at the knife that had lodged itself in its neck.

Jungkook fell to the ground, crawling backward frantically as he watched the scene before him with wide eyes. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he screamed, whipping his head around to find-

"S-Sugassi." He cried. He never thought he would be so happy to see someone who had kidnapped him.

"Get behind me, kid. _Now. _" The boy with the mint hair said, pulling Jungkook behind him roughly as he turned his attention to the monster in front of them, his eyes hard with a steely gaze.

Without a second thought, Jungkook did as he was told, retreating behind a rack of magazines in an attempt to put as much distance between him and the creature as possible. There was a squelching noise as the girl finally managed to dislodge the knife from her neck, leaving behind a gaping, bleeding wound and Jungkook's stomach turned at the sight.

"Didn't anyone ever teach you not to lay your hands on a girl?" The creature hissed as the knife fell to the floor with a dull clang. She regarded the mint-haired boy curiously, sniffing the air as she walked towards them. "Huh, not quite an idol. But not just a human either...so what are you then?" She cooed, blood still spilling from her neck.

"Sick and tired of your shit." Suga replied icily as he flung another knife at the girl with impressive speed, this time landing right in her eye with a gruesome squish.

The sound that uttered from the girl was so deafening, Jungkook had to clamp his hands over his ears to keep his eardrums from shattering. It was a scream like no other, a high-pitched ear-splitting screech. Even in his desperate attempts to cover his ears, he could barely think straight.

"This could've been so easy." The girl seethed, her voice sounding distorted as she stared back at them with burning eyes. "Now I have to kill you."

What happened next was unimaginable. There was a terrible cracking noise, like bones being rearranged before Jungkook realized to his horror that that was exactly what was happening. The creature hunched over, the bones in her spine protruding angrily from her back before they tore open her flesh and from it emerged a bloody figure and then another. The spawns of the creature continued to morph, ugly and dripping with dark red muck as they grew larger and larger into their final forms, carbon copies of the creature they'd emerged from.

Three scaly tongues flicked ravenously as the trio of monsters fixed their gaze on the two boys.

Jungkook whimpered.

"If we can't have you...then no one can." The girls shrilled.

"Don't worry, you never will." Suga bit back. "I'd rather die than be stuck with any of you delusional fucks."

The creatures shrieked in discontent and they lunged forward in an instant, their long black claws piercing right into his flesh as they pinned him against the ground.

"Is that so?" One of the monsters hissed, the one with the missing eye, as she leaned in mere inches away from the mint-haired boy's face. "We'll just have to kill you first then...after we've had our fun, of course." And with that, the creature bared down and plunged its teeth into Suga's chest.

"No!" Jungkook cried out, watching as blood gushed out from the older boy's chest as he fought against the creatures' assault.

Something in Jungkook seemed to snap then. It was as if he was watching it all from outside of his body. Yes, he was afraid of the monsters, petrified. But he was even more afraid of watching somebody die as he stood back and did absolutely nothing to save them. He couldn't live with himself.

Jungkook didn't know what compelled him to crawl out from his hiding place and begin flinging anything he could get his hands; heavy things, frozen things, liquid things - _anything _. He just needed them to turn around. He just needed to distract them.

By some miracle, the items all found their mark and pummeled hard against the monsters' backs and they turned around, their eyes blown out and feral as they landed on the produce-flinging culprit. Beneath them, Suga had stopped moving, the front of his shirt stained red from the pool of blood that was blooming from his wound.

Jungkook felt his knees buckle at the sight.

"What's the matter, oppa? Jealous that we aren't paying attention to you? Don't worry. You'll get your turn." The one-eyed girl mewed, wiping blood from her mouth with the back of her hand before she pushed herself off of Suga and rushed towards him.

Time seemed to slow and all at once, the temperature in the store seemed to drop. One by one, the lights began to pop. _Pop! Pop! Pop! _cracked each bulb as darkness slowly enveloped them. At first, Jungkook thought it was the creature's doing. But it wasn't until he noticed the chilling green aura suddenly seeping from the boy lying unconscious on the floor that he realized that it was actually coming from Suga.

The older boy's eyes had rolled back into his head and from where Jungkook stood, he saw that his irises had gone completely black. The atmosphere grew sinister then, the green light seeming to encapsulate every part of the boy's body until it furled out of him like smokey tendrils. It was all Jungkook got to see before the creatures were flung across the room like rag dolls, hitting the walls with such force, Jungkook swore he heard every bone in their body shatter.

The boy with the mint hair slowly rose, the green aura surrounding him lifting him into the air as a raging tempest began to spin. Jungkook gripped onto the shelves for dear life as the walls shook violently around them. Baskets, shopping carts, counters, _the aisles themselves, _everything the green aura touched, sucked up in the air and into the vicious tornado. The wind whipped against Jungkook's face, hot and painful, but nothing compared to what seemed to be happening to the creatures struggling against the raging impetus.

Judging by the sound of their blood-curdling screams, the cyclone was hurting them, not just hurting them, _incinerating _them. So much so, that Jungkook quite literally saw the meat singed off their bones until nothing remained and just like that, the creatures disintegrated out of existence. Just as quickly as it had appeared, the tempest absorbed back into Suga like a vacuum and he fell to the ground with a thud, along with everything else that had spiraled around in his wake.

There was nothing but the sound of Jungkook's shaky breathing as he stared at Suga's limp form, afraid to move a single muscle. He didn't know how long he stood rooted to the spot before he saw the older boy begin to stir and he immediately held his breath.

"...Are they gone?" The boy with the mint-hair croaked, looking exhausted as he clutched a hand to his chest, his eyes now back to normal and squinting in pain.

Jungkook swallowed and gave a weak nod.

"Good." Suga murmured and with that, he slumped to the floor.

This time, he didn't wake up and Jungkook looked on with wide eyes as he slowly crawled over, before hoisting the older boy over his shoulders and doing the only thing he knew how to do. He ran.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Any guesses as to what these creatures could be called? Hehe :) I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. I'm so sorry it took so long to update. (I'm still recovering from 191606 Muster Jungkook…) Hopefully this longer chapter made up for it! Are you guys enjoying the story so far? Should I continue with it? Let me know what you think in the comments or on Twitter KookiesInTae ~


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